Prowl's Origin
by DarkAngelLillith
Summary: The Decepticons weren't only ones that reprogrammed mechs to fill their ranks. The Autobots get their hands on Barricade.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Not really mine and that's probably a good thing.

**Warnings: **None that I can't think of.

**A/N: **Tell me what you think of this one. And like always, tell me of any mistakes you see and I will fix them as soon as possible.

* * *

_**Prowl's Origin**_

The first thing he felt as he got out of stasis lock was the last of his systems coming online. A quick check on them verified that they were working at optimum levels. He had the feeling that he wasn't supposed to be that way. He didn't have to online his optics to know he was laying down. Before even doing so, he found himself testing his mobility and was met with resistance. He'd been tied. And pretty tight too. Why? He had no idea. In fact, he could recall nothing. Memory banks were wiped clean or mostly clean…

There was still some information left. His designation and a slightly corrupted file. Upon closer inspection, the file had very little information useful in itself. But with it, he could create a picture of what had happened to him.

As soon as the fact that he basically lost everything that made him who he was entered his processor and realization sank in, he turned on his optics. A white ceiling met his optics and they flickered in confusion.

"Hold still," A familiar voice came to his audios from the right side of the room. He turned his head to meet whoever had spoken to him.

A light green mech was putting his tools away. Behind him laid two pieces of another mech that the green one had been working on until he onlined. He wondered if that one could be saved for a klik before turning his attention back to the now approaching green mech.

"Do you recognize me?" the green mech asked cautiously. The feeling of scanners going through his body made him shudder slightly. A part of him recoiled at the invasion, but he pushed it aside. Surely he didn't have anything to fear from the other mech.

"Negative. Memory disrupted by planetary entry," hee answered. The answer appeared to surprise the green mech. A medic and a pretty good one if he'd been the one to repair him. He might not remember much, but the part of him that had feared the scanners was telling him he'd been in pretty bad shape. What little information he could gather painted a picture that seemed to corroborate that feeling.

"Autobot CMO Ratchet under the command of Optimus Prime," was the reply he got from the medic. He could feel his systems relax when Ratchet confirmed his alliance. He made it. He didn't knew how, but he made it.

"Autobot Prowl," he answered slowly. The relief was evident in his voice, but the name felt alien to him. As if it was the first time he'd ever used it and was testing it to see how it sounded.

The scanners of the medic wavered for a klik, but he didn't pay them much attention. He was too busy rejoicing in having found more like him. Maybe he knew one of the others. Prowl could get him to share the memories with him. If only to know more about who he was.

"Welcome to Earth, Prowl," Ratchet said, taking him out of his internal musing. The medic had stopped scanning, apparently satisfied with the results.

"You were slagged when we found you, but aside from some minor glitches that will be repaired as soon as possible, everything should be fine. Memory's slagged though. I don't know how you managed to do that."

He didn't even think twice of the medic's strange tone of voice as he thought up how to best answer the question. Logic dictated that he should not assume anything, but given that his memories left him unable to do anything else…

"There were Decepticons. They… They…" he trailed off analyzing the elusive memory that was haunting him. Trying to make sense out of it. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong here, but he didn't know why, "I think… I had information that could stop them. They… They deliberately damaged my memory so it couldn't be accessed."

He talked slowly, with little emotion behind his words. As if processing the words before being said and finding in them the most logical answer for the memory wipe and injured state when found. A hand on his shoulder made him look at the medic.

"Let me take the restraints off. I think you won't attack anyone anymore," his words confirmed that he'd been violent during his repairs. No wonder he'd been restrained. A wave of shame flooded him. What would they think of him now?

"My apologies. I didn't…" he began only to be interrupted by the medic.

"You have nothing to apologize for. If anything, I am sorry that we found no other way to stop you from injuring another," and there was something in the way he said it that confused Prowl. The feeling that the medic wasn't only apologizing for having tied him down to a repair table, but surely it was all in his processor. Ratchet had mentioned there were some glitches to be repaired...

Now free of his restraints, the medic helped him up. Prowl was testing his movement around the room when Optimus Prime walked in. Prowl stopped everything, dropping to one knee, right hand in a fist over his chest plate. Ratchet and Optimus froze instantly at the other mech's actions.

"Stand. You do not have to do that," the kind voice of the Autobot leader told him and Prowl stood up. He couldn't help but fidget a little under the scrutiny of the bigger mech. That same nagging feeling he'd been feeling all along was telling him to await a painful punishment for displeasing his leader. Because that was his leader. There was no doubt about it. He knew it just like he knew his designation was Prowl. He squashed the feeling down. Autobots do not punish like that. He was now convinced it was all a soon to be repaired glitch.

"Sorry," he said and Optimus chuckled.

"There's nothing to be sorry for, my friend," he replied in that same warm kind voice that Prowl found so strange with his leader. Why? He couldn't come up with a suitable answer.

The red truck looked at Ratchet, "Is everything okay here?"

Ratchet nodded, "As the humans say, peachy. This slagger can leave any time he wants. I'm recommending light work for now, Prime."

Prowl frowned at the gruff way in which the medic talked to his commanding officer. This time he didn't even let the feeling of wrongness register on him. It was probably the change in leadership and that annoying glitch. After all, he hadn't really been attached to this squad. His squad had… Well, they should be out there somewhere… maybe…

Prime only laughed at Ratchet's behavior and motioned for Prowl to go out of the room with him. Ratchet watched them both leave feeling disgusted with himself. He knew the others weren't exactly happy with what they'd done, but there really hadn't been any other way of keeping the slagger alive.

Optimus Prime couldn't bring himself to give the order to kill the hunter when the Con was too damaged to fight back. Keeping him in stasis wasn't viable, because the Con was too slagged to survive in that state for more than half a vorn. They knew he wasn't going to join them on his own…

There had been no way for them too keep him alive. At least no way that Ratchet could think at the moment. No matter how much he hated the order, something had to be done. Barricade would've died if he hadn't acted and Ratchet hated losing patients.

Only Ratchet wasn't sure he'd done the right thing now. Putting him back into his protoform had been easy. And it also made repairs a lot easier. It was what came afterwards... Slag, reprogramming a mech had never been the right thing to do anyways. No matter how minimal he'd tried to keep the reprogrammation, he ended up erasing most, if not all of his memories.

Still the medic couldn't help but wonder if the process had really worked. The reprogramming was minimal, yet this Prowl persona had appeared. There was no malfunction or glitch that he could detect… Was Barricade still there under the guise of Prowl or had Prowl been there all along under the guise of Barricade?

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_Edited:6/10/09 - Fixed dialogues_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Still not mine.

**A/N: **I don't really see Bumblebee's and Barricade's rivalry ending with a little reprogramming. Next one to interact with him would be Ironhide. If you spot anything that needs to be fixed, just tell me and I'll fix it as soon as possible.

"talking"

:comm:

line - change in POV

* * *

_**Prowl's Origin**_

_**Chapter 2:**_

Prowl looked at his reflection closely. The form he chose for his armor was a little more intimidating than Ratchet's or Prime's. Nothing wrong with that, as he was supposed to intimidate his enemies anyway. The door wings on his back were elegant and had many sensors that helped him calculate shifts in wind, temperature, electromagnetic fields, and other seemingly unimportant variables. He knew better of course. These things could literally change the outcome of a battle.

The black and white paintjob was clean and looked polished, the words written stood out proudly. He frowned as the sudden thought that the words should read '_To punish and enslave_' instead of what he knew were the actual words scanned. He was getting better at ignoring the feeling, but this time it annoyed him. Especially because he would have preferred red optics to blue to increase the intimidation factor. Psychological warfare aside, it worried him slightly at such Decepticon-like thought. Slagging glitch…

Satisfied with his looks, he decided to take a stroll around the base. Familiarize himself with his surroundings. He was itching to know as many exits as possible as well as get an idea of where things were located. Hopefully, he'd learn tomorrow how things were run.

He couldn't help but notice the lack of security. It annoyed him that they were so open to attack. Besides him, only The Prime and Ratchet were around. His leader had commented that there were two others, but they seldom stayed on base. Apparently the rest of the squad liked to entertain particular humans. He only wished they were punished for leaving the base unprotected.

:Prowl,: the medic's voice said over the comm line. He stopped in his tracks, giving his full attention to the one contacting him.

:Yes, Ratchet?:

:Bumblebee arrived on base. He'll be around for a few hours, if you want to meet him he'll probably be in the rec room. If you're lucky you can get your first glimpse of a human.:

Prowl had to admit he was slightly curious. Not at the idea of looking at a human. Somehow he had the impression that he'd seen them before and the images on the internet were correct in his processor created image of them. No, he wanted to have a glimpse of this human friendly mech called Bumblebee.

:Alright… Thanks.:

:You're welcome. Now, stop prowling around the hallways and go socialize,: Ratchet replied, the hint of teasing permeating the ever present snark in his tone of voice.

Prowl smiled at the medic's tone and headed to meet with the scout of the squad. Maybe even flaunt his new alt mode. How good could a mech called Bumblebee look anyway? He shook the thought away as he entered the room and was greeted with a plasma cannon aimed at his face.

"Move and I'll deactivate you so fast you won't even feel it," said the yellow mech attached to the plasma cannon. Impulsive like a sparkling… Somehow, Prowl wasn't impressed.

"Bumblebee, right? I believe Ratchet forgot to mention your _friendly_ personality," Prowl drawled as he swatted the cannon away from his face and entered the virtually bare and still under construction room. The yellow scout looked confused for a second before something crossed his face and blue optics zeroed on his own blue optics and the plasma cannon transformed into a hand.

"Hehe… Sorry about that. You just surprised me. Didn't know you were _released_ from medbay so soon," the Camaro said with forced cheer.

Prowl congratulated himself in not showing his surprise at the mech's actions. He also ignored the emphasis on the word 'release'. Surely the kid was hinting at the medic's… distinct personality. Instead, Prowl took the time to make himself as comfortable as he could in the room, making sure to flaunt his new armor as much as possible. Door wings spread out as far as they could and held high. Bumblebee's optics followed him, pathetically smaller yellow door wings shaking slightly. Prowl was slightly disturbed at the vain streak he was displaying. Still, Bumblebee's staring only served to fuel his vanity and ego and Prowl frowned as he resolved to get a tighter control on his feelings. Of course, it would be impolite to just ignore the scout and he turned to look at the Camaro and decided to try and befriend the young mech.

"Ratchet informed me that there might be a human around. Is it a recurrent occurrence?"

Bumblebee seemed to hesitate before getting closer. He moved carefully and stayed out of arms reach from Prowl. The black and white mech frowned at the obvious show of mistrust from the other. He wasn't even going to try and analyze the hint of satisfaction he felt, instead waiting for the other to answer. Bumblebee seemed to be debating something before looking at his optics again.

"Sam… He comes around often," he began, "Usually during the weekend cause he still has school and his creators are very strict about his curfew."

"Must be tiring to come and go from the base to the squishie's home and school," Prowl commented, gaze trained on the yellow scout. He was rewarded with a hate-filled gaze that almost threw him off balance. It was just a simple comment.

"His name is _Sam_," Bumblebee corrected and Prowl raised an optic ridge at the force behind his correction.

"My apologies. It was not my intention to demean the creature's value to you," Prowl quickly tried to diffuse the other's mounting anger. His apology seemed to not have the desired effect as Bumblebee's battle mask covered his face in a clear show of hostility.

"News flash, Prowl, the natives are not called creatures or squishies or whatever other names your processor seems fit to name them. They are humans, homo sapiens, and that is the way we address them. And if I ever hear you call them something different, I will personally talk to Optimus about it."

Prowl didn't understand why the other appeared to be so touchy about his words. It was just a simple flesh bag. There were millions like him... Regret suddenly filled him as he realized the contemptuous way he'd been talking and thinking about a fellow sentient race. He looked at the other's covered face, hoping to convey how he felt.

"I am sorry again. It will not happen again."

This time his apology had better results. Bumblebee shrugged, battle mask retreating. He stared silently and Prowl remained still as Bumblebee studied him while trying to smother the irritation at the youngling's actions. Without a word, Bumblebee strode out of the room with an over the shoulder, "Whatever."

Prowl nodded, making sure to save the information of this encounter. He would need to ask The Prime for an audience and discuss his position in this squad. So far he'd met two very vocal mechs, an apparent lack of protocol and disciplinary methods, poor security measure and possible security risks in the human allowed on base. Maybe he could suggest to his leader that he'd be put in charge of correcting this.

* * *

Bumblebee left in search of Ratchet. He needed to have a few words with him before going to ask Optimus what the frag he'd been thinking when he let Barricade out without supervision. He didn't want to doubt Ratchet's skill, but a good reprogramming would not have Prowl referring to humans as squishies and creatures. Those were Decepticon words.

Barricade was still there, Bumblebee was sure of it. The mech had even gone and used the same fragging alt mode! Oh, the mech had changed the look of his armor enough to barely pass as an Autobot. There were no teeth and less pointed edges and the door wings had thrown him off, but it was still the same Saleen Mustang that had chased him through the streets of Tranquility. And Prowl had paraded it in front of him! '_To protect and serve_' his decals read and Bumblebee had to snort in disgust.

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_Edited: 6/10/09 - Fixed dialogues_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **Not mine. And the world rejoices for it.

**A/N: **Thanks to all the people that reviewed and the people in lj who helped me fix a lot of mistakes in this and the previous chapters. Hope Ironhide is not as Ooc as I fear I made him. I have no excuses if he is. Tell me of any mistakes you find and I'll fix them as soon as possible.

line - Change of POV

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_**Prowl's Origin**_

**  
**_**Chapter 3:**_

Prowl was satisfied with his work so far. The Prime had been surprised at his offering to help fortify the base against enemy attack, but had given him permission to do it. Under The Prime's strict supervision, of course. Prowl didn't expect anything else from his leader. It had been two months of almost nonstop work but the results had impressed The Prime and Prowl still felt like he could take on the world after being praised by his leader.

Right now he was waiting at the entrance of the base to finally meet the last member of the squad. The Prime's Weapons Specialist, Ironhide. Something about the name made him think of big cannons and fear. Prowl cursed mentally. During the months he'd been working the glitch had been almost completely silent. The only exceptions were when Bumblebee was around and very rarely during his audiences with The Prime. That it now flared up without reason made his logic processor crazy.

He watched the black Topkick approach. Its energy signature clearly marked him as an Autobot and Prowl stood at attention, door wings straight and still.

The black vehicle transformed into an imposing black mech with probably the biggest cannons this side of the galaxy attached to each arm. The cannon on his right arm even had missiles connected around it. Prowl's slight twitch of his door wings was the only outward sign of his approval. This Ironhide looked terrifying enough and the black paintjob was more suitable for a warrior than glaring yellow and light green.

The black mech looked at him. The open hostility in his optics very similar to Bumblebee's on their first meeting. But while Bumblebee was nothing more than a youngling playing soldier in Prowl's processor, Ironhide was clearly old and experienced. His behavior came from years on the battlefield and Prowl respected that.

He saluted the warrior with two taps of his fist against his chest plate. Ironhide's narrowed optics blinked twice in surprise at the greeting and Prowl berated himself for his mistake. He'd forgotten his leader's orders to stop saluting as if he was still with his old squad. Something about them annoyed his leader. Prowl still wondered how the red truck seemed to know who they were. His memory had been slagged and there was nothing of them left for the medic to have taken while doing repairs. He still did his best to follow his orders.

"You must be Ironhide," he began, trying to cover his slip in manners, "I am Prowl. Temporary Security Director and Strategist. Autobot Commander Optimus Prime is currently in a meeting with human representatives and assigned me the privilege of showing you the changes done to the base while in your absence. Some of these changes will require your approval."

Prowl spoke as mechanically and emotionlessly as possible. While Prowl felt nothing but contempt for a mech that had not reported to the base in months, The Prime had made it quite clear that Ironhide was a good friend and they'd been in touch. Someone that his leader considered that important was not someone Prowl wanted to have problems with.

"Where's Ratchet?" came the gruff, almost snarled, reply. Prowl had to admit he liked how it made the black mech seem even more dangerous.

"Chief Medical Officer Ratchet has volunteered his services to a nearby hospital for the day," the black and white replied while entering the base.

Technically, the military had made a deal with them. They got Ratchet's medical treatment twice a month and the Autobots got weapons. Once the deal was on the table, Ratchet had volunteered claiming he was bored of doing nothing but wait in medical. Their leader had accepted and Prowl was left frustrated over the whole thing. He was sure there were better ways to acquire equipment that did not require leaving the base without medical assistance.

Ironhide seemed surprised and Prowl tilted his head to analyze the barely composed figure of the other officer. His optics moved to anywhere but Prowl until they settled on a building separated from the rest of the compound. The police car deducted that Ironhide was displeased at not being able to meet with his comrades.

"I don't remember that building being here," Ironhide pointed at the building. Prowl turned to look at the recently finished building.

"That is the training room. It was finished recently. As Weapons Specialist, it still requires your final approval and input," Prowl answered, missing the surprised and almost delighted expression that crossed the warrior's face.

"I've been itching for a good bout of sparring," commented the Topkick with a wistful look at the building.

Prowl nodded, but continued towards the main complex, ignoring the other mech's frustrated grunt. He did glanced back at him, smirking slightly at the warrior, "First I want to show you the Security Room. I need your input regarding some of the weapons added to our defenses in case of attack.

"We have defenses?" Ironhide asked hurrying to catch up with him.

"Of course. First thing I advised our leader to concentrate our work with instead of trying to build everything at the same time," Prowl answered with a hint of pride in his voice.

Ironhide blinked, cannons whirling in what Prowl could only think of as a nervous gesture. The warrior's blue optics settled on him and Prowl resisted the urge to run from him and his cannons. In a second, Ironhide straightened up and entered the building.

"Well come on!" he said quite loudly to the police car, "The faster I finish going over our so called defenses, the faster I can beat your aft during training."

Prowl found himself blinking before chuckling darkly, "Do not be so sure of yourself, my friend. It would not do well for you to underestimate me."

* * *

Ironhide's drive back to the Lennox household was pretty quiet. He kept going back to his meeting with Barricade… or Prowl. He'd been avoiding going to the base trying to avoid a confrontation with the Decepticon. He'd been the more vocal opposition to the reprogramming. Better to just let him use the Con for target practice. Once a Decepticon, always a Decepticon. Bumblebee's continuous complaints against Barricade hadn't helped in the least in changing his perception.

And when he finally decides to face the music, he finds out that both Optimus and Ratchet trusted Prowl with the base enough to even leave the glitch alone. Unsupervised. Optimus had gone as far as putting the Con in charge of the base's security and defense. He almost shorted out trying to comprehend what had possessed them to do such a thing.

Until Prowl had shown him what he'd done. The police car had gone to great lengths to make the base as impenetrable as the planet's technology allowed. Ironhide would give almost anything to have a Science team on the planet. Sure, the humans had technology but... ugh...

The Weapons Specialist's engine purred in delight at the memory of the training room. It was a dream come true. It even had a small weapons development area that he couldn't wait to try out. Prowl had certainly thought of everything. And he wasn't a bad fighter either.

Ironhide didn't believe in holding back. Knowing that he was sparring with a Con had only made him fight more… vigorously. Prowl had taken it all in stride, fighting back with everything he had. Making the Topkick remember that he was really fighting one of the most dangerous Decepticons they've ever encountered, despite his smaller size. Ironhide still kicked his aft, but he grudgingly admitted that it was one of the best sparring matches he'd had in quite a while.

In fact, Prowl had been quite clear that he would like a rematch next week. Ironhide was surprised to realize he was looking forward to it already. Sure, Prowl kept referring to Optimus as The Prime and the greeting he used was one Ironhide recognized as the greeting used by the Lord High Protector's Special Guard, but maybe the whole reprogramming thing hadn't been a bad idea after all.

* * *

_Edited: 6/10/09 - Fixed dialogues_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **Not really mine and that's probably a good thing.

**Warnings: **None that I can't think of.

**A/N: **Lots and lots of thanks to all the people that have help me fix this and the previous chapters over in lj. Thanks to all the people that too the time to review too. I'm not really happy with this chapter, but Mikaela wasn't cooperating and the other humans ran away before I could catch them. Like always, tell me of any mistakes you see and I will fix them as soon as possible.

"talking"

line - Change in POV

* * *

_**Prowl's Origin**_

_**Chapter 4: **_

Prowl knew it was bound to happen. Sure, he had watched and supervised the human soldiers when they came to the base, but they were mere workers and not one of the few considered part of the team. What surprised him was that the first one he met was not among the possibilities he had considered.

Given that Bumblebee had told him that his flesh… human came with him usually during the weekends, he had been sure the first… human… he would meet would be Samuel Witwicky, killer of the mightiest mech that had ever lived.

No. Not the mightiest... Just Megatron. Prowl always felt a wave of disgust whenever he remembered being told how the squishy destroyed Cybertron's Lord High Protector. It surely was because the human had to sacrificed the All Spark to do so. His logic processor always hurt whenever he thought long about it. But it wasn't the first fleshling he met. In fact, Bumblebee had stopped bringing the human to the base since their meeting. Prowl had tried to apologize again for his words, but the mech was avoiding him.

It was neither Ironhide's pet soldier. The Weapons Specialist was now seen frequently on the base. A fact that made Prowl's trust that the Topkick was adequate for the job grow exponentially. It helped that sparring with the larger mech was one of the few activities that he looked forward to. But Ironhide's human was busy with his family unit and hadn't been able to come with Ironhide when he made his visits.

It was the female youngling that Ratchet had bragged about. Samuel's future bondmate, if the information he had was to be trusted. Designation: Mikaela Banes.

He blinked, staring at the small, curvy pink form that was helping Ratchet fix the sparkless shell of Autobot First Lieutenant Jazz. Why did she look so familiar?

"Why are you here? And I better not hear anything about your slagging protocols, Prowl," the medic said without even bothering to look up or stopping what he was doing.

The female was another matter. She stopped everything and looked at him. Her eyes widened and the grip on the tool she was grasping tightened. Prowl could detect a slight increase on her vital signs, but that was Ratchet's problem. Part of him was thrilled at the show of fear. There was something about reciprocating saws, like an echo of someone complaining in Cybertronian gibberish, but he dismissed it. He shuddered in disgust and looked back at the medic, who looked troubled.

"The glitch?" Ratchet asked, oddly caring tone that made Prowl blink again and nod hesitantly. Not that Ratchet could do anything else but curse. He'd already tried and failed to fix it.

"Slag."

"Wait. How come I didn't get told there was a new arrival? Does Sam know? Is that why you guys have been acting so weird and stopped bringing us here?" the human female asked.

"His name's Prowl. He's helping Prime run the base. Prowl, that's Mikaela. She's my apprentice," Ratchet spoke, while continuing repairing the shell, "And to answer your question, Mikaela, I do not know if Sam knows. Prowl was heavily damaged and it took a lot to fix him. For a while I wasn't even sure he would be able to live among us. We felt it was better to wait until he was out of danger to tell you."

Mikaela looked confused for a second before going back to work. Prowl analyzed the words of the medic. There was something there. He knew. Something he was sure he needed to know. Something he wasn't sure he wanted to know. Instead, he focused on the pink protoformid form. That's what humans reminded him off. Armorless protoforms…

Prowl watched her absorbed in her work. Fragile hands working swiftly with delicate neural wiring. She reminded him of someone. Small and good at fixing. Her stillness was the only thing that threw him off. Somehow he was expecting her to be more jittery.

"Nice to meet ya, I guess," she said, looking up and giving him a smile, "You know, there was a Decepticon running around looking like a cop too."

Ratchet faltered in his repairs. Prowl frowned. Why wasn't he told of that?

"I did not know that. How do you know of him," he asked curiously.

"He attacked me and Sam back when the All Spark thing happened," she replied, "I think he got killed during the last battle. No one has seen him since."

"Did he, Ratchet?" Prowl asked, optic ridge raised. The medic nodded quickly, as if nervous. Was he afraid Prowl would take offense at the omission? If the Con was dead before he came, Prowl saw no use in being told about him.

"Yeah, Optimus got him after he killed Bonecrusher. He never made it to Mission City," the rescure vehicle replied calmly, "Now, mind telling me again why are you in my medbay when you're perfectly fine."

Prowl chuckled at the familiar hostility, "I was informed there was a human on the base."

"Curiosity killed the feline, Prowl," the light green mech replied and Prowl tilted his head.

"I am not curious about a simple human," Prowl ignored the curious look directed at him from the human girl and the amused snort of the medic, "I am here to inform you that she will need to leave a small blood collection. She will be authorized to enter the premises once we have her DNA. I did not install the security system to let it rust."

Ratchet waved him off, "Sure, sure. I'll do that later. Now go bug Prime and leave me to finish this."

Prowl frowned at the medic's antics but did as was told.

"Good bye!" she yelled after the new arrival, but he was already gone. In her opinion, he was weird and way too serious for her taste.

She paused on her work with Jazz. Ratchet had taken teaching her seriously and was using the body of the dead mech to teach her while putting him back in one piece. Something about a memorial, but Mikaela didn't quite understood what Ratchet had told her when he explained why he was repairing the Solstice in the first place.

"I like the doorwings. They're cute," she commented and watched as Ratchet frowned, "He still reminds me of that Decepticon that attacked us."

"He is not," the rescue vehicle replied still engrossed in his work. Trying not to think how close he'd been to strapping Pro… Barricade to the medical table and putting him in stasis lock until he could verify his reprogramming.

"I know. I was only saying," she defended herself, "Too serious though. Not that you guys are clowns, but he gave me the impression of being all work and no play."

"That is not a bad trait to have."

"Never said it was," the girl said, "He must be going crazy with all of you though. You don't act as serious as mister 'we need her DNA for the security of the base'. I wonder if his hologram looks like a real cop though."

" Prowl's work in the construction and defense of the base has been invaluable. He acts different merely because he came from a different squad. Different squads means different rules," Ratchet lied again. He hated lying, but there was nothing else he could do.

There was a silence as both human and mech worked.

"And why is the appearance of his hologram so important to you," Ratchet's curiosity won out in the end.

Mikaela shrugged, "It's not really important. I just find uniformed men sexy," was the simple reply and she laughed out loud at Ratchet's engine splutter and flickering of optics.

For a newcomer, Prowl was as interesting as a wall. She was not looking forward to her DNA collection, but Ratchet's reaction to her comment was priceless.

* * *

_Edited: 6/10/09 - Fixed Jazz's rank (thanks to cmdrtekk for pointing it out) and fixed dialogues  
_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **Not mine.

**A/N: **Lots of thanks to all the people in lj who helped me to fix this chapter. Love ya guys! Thanks to all the people that took the time to review too. Tell me what you guys think and, like always, tell me of any mistake you find and I'll fix them as soon as possible.

"talking"

Line - Change in POV

* * *

_**Prowl's Origin**_

_**Chapter 5:**_

When Prowl met Captain William Lennox, he didn't know what to think. Ironhide clearly thought highly of the human. This was no young human female with a sharp tongue and a knack for medicine. The man was a soldier. A fighter just like the Autobots and the De… Just like the Autobots.

Prowl didn't let his confusion show. His performance reflected on The Prime and the squad. Now that Commander Optimus Prime had officially given him the task of First Lieutenant, the black and white was very careful of how he acted around the base's many human visitors.

He was used to meeting the humans for specific purposes. Mostly concerning the organic's government making a nuisance of themselves with their demands. The Saleen didn't had much faith in the human government. If it wasn't because The Prime truly believed they could learn to coexist, Prowl would have advised his leader to disappear from the government's eye.

The reason why Ironhide left the human with him was simple. Optimus Prime had asked Ironhide to accompany him on a mission. They suspected there had been an arrival and needed to check it out. Prowl had wanted to go, but The Prime had left the base under his command. His meeting with the human soldier consisted of Ironhide dropping the human on the palm of his hand and telling him to take care of it. His door wings twitched in annoyance.

"So, you're the famous Prowl that Ironhide's been talking about", the Captain commented, giving Prowl a long look. The Mustang had no idea what that look might mean and didn't want to know. He needed to concentrate on the last far fetched request of the USA government.

"Well, are you or not?"

Prowl looked at the human, who was currently sitting on the Saleen's desk, "Autobot First Lieutenant, Prowl. And you are Captain William Lennox of the United States Army."

"Yep. That's me," the man replied, "First Lieutenant? I thought Ironhide told me that was Jazz."

Prowl frowned. It was a rare thing to be reminded that the position he occupied had not been his. It made him feel lacking, something that annoyed the mech. He was ready to give everything for his cause and leader. Jazz died. His time was over. It was Prowl's time to show he could do better.

"Jazz is lost to us. Commander Optimus Prime appointed me to take his place," he said, careful to keep the pride he felt at being given that honor out of his voice. To know that his leader trusted him this much was intoxicating and at the same time terrifying. Prowl knew that should he fail or disappoint his leader, there will be painful consequences.

"I hear you've done a great job," the human continued, "I have to admit, the changes around here are quite impressive. It's been what? Six months?"

"Something like that," Prowl replied, giving up completely in returning to his work while the human was around, "I arrived close to a month after the battle at Mission City."

"And what a battle that was!" the Captain exclaimed, "I've never been on something as intense as that. For a moment there I thought I was never going to see my baby girl."

Prowl tilted his head, "Baby girl?"

Lennox chuckled, "Hide hasn't talked about Anna? I'm surprised."

"And why is that?"

Lennox's smile grew wide at the prospect of talking about his daughter, "Well, at first he was wary of her. She's so tiny. But now, you should see him. He frets over every sound she makes. I swear the big guy's got an alarm to tell him when she needs to be fed. It drives Sarah up the wall."

Prowl blinked, trying to reconcile the image he had of the Weapons Specialist with what the soldier was telling him. The human merely shook his head and added, "Don't think about it too much. I know it sounds crazy, but that's what family does to you."

"Family?" Prowl asked uncertain. He knew what the term meant, but the possibility of being included in such a unit never really crossed his processor.

"Yeah, family. He fits right in with the rest of us."

"So, Ironhide has been included as part of your family unit," Prowl had to repeat, if only to be sure. There was no such thing as a family for him. Something deep inside him knew it. The knowledge made his spark ache, but he ignored it for the moment. He would go back and study the feeling later.

"Yeah. Though I guess that makes you all part of the family as well. After all, you're all one big family already."

Prowl frowned, "Why do you say that?"

Lennox shrugged, "I haven't been around you guys much, but from what I've seen you're more of a family than you think. You guys are there for each other. Support each other. That's what families do. They stick together and protect each other. Unconditionally."

Prowl processed the words in silence. Could it be true? What made this squad so different from his previous squad that the more he thought about it, the more he actually wanted to be thought of as family. Even if Bumblebee was a strutless sparkling. Even when a part of him was sure families were a weakness. He realized he already cared too much for them.

The Prime was his leader and Commander. He would first rip his own spark from his spark chamber than go against him. He knew The Prime was too honorable to ask that of him. He still was willing to go through with it. Still, Prowl would even dare to say The Prime and he had grown to be friends. The Saleen always looked forward to their conversations. Even when they agreed to disagree, their discussions were always insightful.

Ironhide was a breath of fresh air for the Mustang. Whenever they got together they always ended under the tender mercies of Ratchet. They discussed battle strategies and never held back during sparring. Prowl listened to the few times Ironhide shared some of his past. The patrol car wished he could tell him about his battles. Compare battle scars.

Ratchet had helped him so much. Despite the grouchy attitude, the medic had saved him and had taken care of him whenever he went to the medbay fearing his glitch was acting up. The rescue vehicle was oddly protective of him. Something that never failed to amuse him. The medic had been the one to help him fit in when he onlined with nothing except his designation. He was also a good chess partner.

He looked down at the human who was trying to make sense of the data pad he'd been working on earlier. Maybe the little organic was right. They were all a family and Prowl was slowly becoming a part of it. He ignored the little nagging voice at the back of his processor that told him none of it was true.

* * *

Lennox didn't know what to think of Prowl. The mech was efficient in his job. Something that he knew was pissing off a few men among the brass. The fact was that the government had tried to take advantage of the aliens. Apparently they forgot the little fact that they were giant robots. Highly advanced mechanical life forms. Once the whole confusion of their arrival, battle and destruction of the All Spark and Megatron dissipated, they were going to notice they were being ripped off. Prowl only organized things sooner than the brass had expected.

By the way the soldiers talked about him, he was expecting something very different. They described him as a prick with as much personality as a cardboard box. He admitted that when he met the mech he'd joined the belief he was a prick. A boring one at that.

It was the talk about family that changed his view of Prowl. How foreign that small concept had seemed to him. It was as if it was something he knew the meaning of, but had never been a part of. It was then that Lennox saw Prowl as a man… robot… that had separated his duties from his put things into perspective in the mind of the soldier. Here was a race of beings that had been so consumed by war that they had forgotten everything else. He couldn't begin to imagine how hard and painful living with only the knowledge of war could be.

He couldn't wait to get home. He had the urge to kiss Sarah senseless and tell both his girls he loved them.

* * *

_Edited: 6/10/09 - Fixed Jazz's rank (thanks to cmdrtekk for pointing it out) and fixed dialogues_


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **Do not own.

**A/N: **I'm sorry for taking so long to update this story. I've been away from the net for a month now due to life issues. Unfortunately, I can't say I'm completely done with those issues.I want to say thanks to all the people that have helped me over at livejournal to fix this chapter.. Also, next chapter will have our favorite Sector 7 agent. Like always, tell me of any mistakes and I'll fix them as soon as possible.

**A/N #2: **To all the people that have reviewed or placed this story in their favorite/alert lists: THANK YOU!!

* * *

_**Prowl's Origin**_

_**Chapter 6: **_

It had been one of their best sparring matches. Ironhide had appeared on the base a day earlier than expected and had dragged Prowl to the training room. At the beginning, Prowl had been reluctant to participate. He had work to do after all, but once The Prime had given his permission Prowl decided to make the best of it. Besides, Ironhide had said he had a new move to show him and Prowl was always eager to learn something new.

Sadly, their match had been interrupted by Ratchet who had almost literally dragged Ironhide to his medbay. Prowl, who had suffered an injury on his right knee joint had opted to wait until the medic commed him to move and decided to entertain himself by playing on the stock market.

Just because the humans had decided to help them didn't mean they were willing to give them things for free. Prowl had the suspicion that the military was slowly snaring them by giving things now and asking for favors later. This way he'd get human currency that will help them acquire what they needed without having to owe anything to anybody. And all of it done by legal means, so Prowl didn't have to worry if the humans didn't like it.

He was surprised when Ratchet's apprentice came to the training room carrying the toolbox the medic had given her.

"Hey! Thought you might want to get that joint looked at," She said cheerfully with a smile adorning her face.

"Ratchet…"

"Was the one that hinted that you were injured. Ratchet is still fixing Ironhide and I think he's waiting until he's done to start cursing and throwing tools around," She cut him off, eyeing his injury clinically.

"I did not know his injuries were serious," Prowl said with a frown, door wings dropping a little, and Mikaela laughed.

"Actually, I think the problem is that Ironhide is not as young as he pretends he is," She shrugged before opening the toolbox and started rummaging through it, - "At least that's what I got from the last time Ratchet had to fix Hide."

Prowl made a noncommittal sound and studied the human, door wings flaring up behind him. It wasn't as if she could kill him if she made a mistake. Ratchet could always fix it later anyway and she probably needed the practice.

She gave him another smile and twirled one of the tools in her hand. The action seemed familiar and he found himself giving her permission to fix him. He helped her reach the injury and was surprised at the eagerness she showed. At least she knew how to turn his pain receptors off. The last thing he needed was to be in pain while a rookie was playing doctor.

She worked in silence. Small hands reaching places Ratchet could not reach. It was soothing, almost familiar and the silence was welcomed; if not a little eerie. For one reason or another, he wanted her to talk. Even if he wasn't exactly planning to talk back to her.

"So… Police cruiser. Why?" She asked while switching tools.

Prowl swept his optics around the empty training almost lazily. He could vaguely feel her start working again, "To protect and serve."

She stopped working and Prowl looked down at her. She was frowning in that way he came to associate with confusion, "Could you explain that a little bit?'

Prowl shrugged, careful that his movements did not jostle the human too much, "The Autobot code says that freedom is the right of all sentient beings. It is what we fight for. What we protect."

Mikaela blinked before tucking a stray hair behind her ear and continue working, "I think maybe you should've gone military. I mean, with the whole fighting for freedom thing they got going on. It sort of makes more sense to me."

Prowl gave her a small smile, door wings fluttering slightly in amusement, "Military vehicles do not always represent freedom, Mikaela. They often represent power and oppression. Decepticons are more likely to use military vehicles for alternate modes. As a matter of fact, almost ninety five percent of the Cybertronian Guard -- I guess you could call them our military force -- joined the Decepticons. The original Autobots, or at least most of them, you would say were civilians. That did not mean they weren't able to fight, just that it was not their primary function in life. And because of it, we are not prone to choose such vehicles. I just wished to get an alternate mode that represented what we are fighting for. I was just lucky you have one that is perfect without having to worry about being confused for a Decepticon. Hence, to protect and serve."

"I thought Ratchet told me you didn't remember anything."

Prowl tilted his head. Talking about the Cybertronian Guard made him feel strange, but he was sure it was due to the way he got that information. Because she was right. He didn't had any memory of those times.

"Ratchet and Optimus Prime have been instructing me in the historical events of Cybertron. As much as it pains me, the Great War composes most of its history."

Mikaela only nodded as she continued working. Prowl welcomed the silence again, pushing the uncomfortable feelings to the back of his processor. It annoyed him that the only knowledge he had of his planet came from what Ratchet and The Prime had told him. Ironhide sometimes told stories about specific battles he'd been in, but it still wasn't enough…

"Well, I'm glad they took that Decepticon out then," She said suddenly and Prowl frowned as he remembered the time he met her, almost a month ago. She had mentioned a Decepticon that took a similar alternate mode.

"I am glad also. I rather like this form and I would hate to have to change it just because some Decepticon decided to take it too," It made him angry how the Decepticons took something that should signify safety and protection and twisted it.

She laughed at his words, "Man, I wish Sam was here. He could've told you all about him. After all, he had the real encounter. I was just there for the ride."

"Samuel Witwicky, right?" Prowl asked and she nodded.

"Yeah, that's him. He freaked when I told him about you," She laughed again and Prowl wondered if it would take her longer to finish fixing him, "In fact, I think he's still pissed at Bumblebee for not telling him you arrived."

"Should I be expecting his arrival?"

She shook her head before pausing to see her work, "Nah. Bee's acting kinda childish and saying he won't take Sam here. Ratchet said it's all 'cause Bee and you don't really get along."

"Bumblebee is a youngling. It is no surprise he is acting as such."

Mikaela laughed again. Somehow, her laugh made up for her stillness, "Well, I think I'm done. I'm no Ratchet, but I'm willing to say I did very well for this being my first real repair without having Ratchet hovering over me and muttering under his breath."

Prowl chuckled as he helped her get down. He tested the joint under her careful supervision and watched her go after he promised to go see Ratchet for a scan later. He could see what Ratchet saw in her. Her repairs were excellent. He felt a pang of something. It felt as if he was missing something or someone, but he couldn't pinpoint who.

Annoyed, he went back to finish the work Ironhide and his impromptu sparring match had caused him to left unfinished. He had only two weeks before the government sent one of his agents for a special meeting. He needed to get everything ready for his visit.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **Not mine. Do not own.

**A/N: **Thanks to the people over at live journal that helped me fix this and the previous chapters. Thanks to all the reviews and alerts. Like always, find anything that needs fixing, please tell me and I'll fix it. Otherwise, I just won't see it.

**A/N #2: **I don't hate the humans and I really like Simmons. He's just too easy to pick on. Anyone care to guess who Simmons and Maggie reminds Prowl of?

* * *

_**Prowl's Origin**_

**Chapter 7:**

It wasn't that Prowl disliked humans. He had come to the conclusion that individual humans were not so bad. Unfortunately, he had also come to the conclusion that the exception to that rule were individual humans that dealt with politics. Of course, any sort of combination of the words human and politics had become a synonym for 'annoying problems' to the currently bored Saleen.

He managed to cancel a sigh of exasperation, proud that so far he hadn't even twitched a doorwing even though all he wanted to do was storm out of the meeting and shoot something.

Secretary Keller was not a bad man. In fact, Prowl had placed him under the category of almost acceptable human. If it weren't because the President of the United States and his officials had apparently decided to exploit Secretary Keller's good standing with the Autobots with inane petitions, Prowl was sure he would've liked the man.

The First Lieutenant turned his optics away from the old human. The Prime and Secretary Keller were too absorbed in their negotiations and Prowl feared the meeting would have to continue tomorrow.

They should've seen it coming. But they've been so busy…

When they got the signal of an arrival they had gone there with the hopes of finding an ally. Prowl himself had seen nothing out of the ordinary. They should've been more careful. He should've been more careful.

Instead, he had been left with Ironhide's human while his leader, Ironhide and Ratchet drove right into a trap. And now the humans wanted an explanation for the destruction caused. Prowl was sure this whole meeting was mostly the race's way to calm their nerves and verify their standing with the Autobots.

Silly humans… How could they doubt Commander Optimus Prime's promise of protection?

His optics settled on a jittery human. Designation Reginald Simmons. Functioned as a Sector 7 Agent.

Doorwings twitched. Optics narrowed slightly. The Prime halted his conversation for an astrosecond. It was no secret that he didn't like the man. The other Autobots disliked him too. Prowl thought that the others underestimated the feelings the man could evoke in his spark. The Saleen loathed him and it was all he could do to stay put and not step on the man.

Reginald Simmons reminded him of someone. Someone that could never keep quiet. Someone that grated on his nerves with his voice. Someone that could change alliances as fast as the beating of the human's organic pump… heart…

Arrogance... Cockiness... Intelligence... Impatience...

It frustrated the Saleen how the mere presence of the man would taunt him with the promise of a real memory. Unfortunately, no matter how much Prowl thought about it, the memory eluded him. Leaving him with spark-felt feelings that had no real meaning, but told him, without a doubt, that he'd known someone like Reginald Simmons.

Part of him said the darker feelings came from his glitch. The bigger part of him couldn't care less about it. It was one of those things that made him feel ashamed in front The Prime.

But the mech didn't avert his optics because he felt ashamed or because he felt like killing one Agent Simmons right in front of The Prime and the human Secretary of Defense. He turned away from the despised human because the corrupted file on his processor was feeding him phantom pains and images.

Images of something big and triangular shape. The pain of bending and breaking. Sensors suddenly telling him he was not on the floor but on the air. And a screeching cackling.

Memories of his attack? Or maybe from another battle he had been in? Or they could be a the result of his processor trying to sort out a lifetime of experiences without real context at a random moment.

He found his optics settling on the female. The signal analyst that had managed to break into the Decepticon signal. Designation Maggie Madsen. Her pet… No, her companion, Glen Whitmann, was beside her as always. He was busy eating some sort of food with high levels of sugar.

Unlike Agent Simmons, she appeared to have learned to keep her mouth shut when expected. Unlike Simmons, she also learned to go behind her superior's back to get what she wanted. And if she couldn't do it, she would send her hacker after it.

Prowl's illogical hatred towards Simmons was not enough to blind him of the threat the female truly was. Agent Simmons -feelings aside- was predictable. He loved drama and everything the man did somehow managed to gather everyone's attention. Analyst Madsen was unpredictable. Seemingly innocent and beautiful, if his analysis on human aesthetics was correct. She would sell her soul if it gave her the answers she desired at the moment or brought her further along on her job.

"Well, it's settled then," Prime said loudly, making Prowl almost jump.

"Yes, it is," Keller replied, a smile Prowl had come to associate with satisfaction, "I'm glad we managed to get to an agreement."

Prowl's doorwings drooped a little. It would be unnoticeable by the humans, but he knew The Prime would notice. The patrol car couldn't bring himself to care right now. His leader was surely displeased with his work. Why else would he make an agreement without consulting his First Lieutenant?

"Prowl, I think you'd be happy to know that the United States has agreed to put our base as a diplomatic embassy. On their terms, we would be in Cybertronian territory as soon as you put a foot inside our base," Optimus Prime finished talking, sending a small packet of information about the agreement to Prowl. Prowl's optics flickered as he analyzed the data given.

"That is good to know," he replied slowly. Maybe now he could kick out of the base all the human soldiers.

"Oh, great. What next? Make them citizens? Interspecies marriage?" Simmons cried, while Maggie looked at everyone intently.

"Shut up, Simmons," Keller said with a frown, "I'm sorry, Optimus. I…"

Someone broke into the meeting room, making everyone stand up in alarm.

"Ratchet? What's wrong?" Optimus asked, approaching the medic.

"Is it the Decepticons?" Keller asked before Prowl could. The black and white mech awaited the answer while going over tactical data.

"No Decepticons, Prime," the rescue vehicle replied, seemingly overwhelmed, "A miracle!"

"Miracle?" the analyst asked in that accented voice of hers. Calculating eyes glittering with the prospect of being witness to an important, and highly classified, event.

"It's Jazz," Ratchet continued, looking at The Prime, "He's alive!"

Prowl didn't hear anything else. He couldn't even dwell on the impossible and illogical way Ratchet said the late First Lieutenant came back to life. All he knew was that everything he had worked so hard to gain was lost. He had taken Jazz's place in the unit, but with him alive again…

Where did he belong now?

* * *

_Edited: 6/10/09 - Fixed Jazz's rank (thanks to cmdrtekk for pointing it out)  
_


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Transformers.

**A/N:** Thanks to all the people on lj that have helped me fix this and the previous chapters. This chapter is for all of you. Like always, feel free to tell me of any mistakes and I'll fix them as soon as possible.

**Warnings: **Ooc? This chapter didn't turned out like I wanted. It was supposed to be the meeting between Prowl and Jazz. But every time I tried to go over what I had written, I just didn't like it. Then Prowl demanded a little time alone to brood and Barricade wanted more fic time and this chapter was created. Maybe now that I've done what they want he'll be ready to meet with Jazz.

_'thinking'_

"talking"

line - Scene change

* * *

_**Prowl's Origin**_

**  
****Chapter 8:**

If he'd been human, he would've called the current ache in his processor a migraine. The pain had begun shortly after he got over the shock of having been demoted by the very same mech he'd replaced. A mech who had been dead until an accident in the repair bay had brought him back to life.

An accident that somehow involved electricity, water, the Allspark shard and a welder…

Prowl's vents hissed as he tried to find some way to relieve the bothersome pain in his processor. He needed to finish writing a report to update the First Lieutenant of what he'd done while in his position, but the pain kept distracting him. In fact, every thought concerning First Lieutenant Jazz made the strange dull throbbing in his processor increase and his thought processes falter.

Prowl let out a frustrated growl, clawed hands gripping the data pad hard enough to break it. The Saleen stared at the broken data pad in his hands. He let out a frustrated sigh as he realized he had to write that report all over again.

For the first time since joining The Prime's unit, Prowl wished someone would come to drag him out of his office. Unfortunately, he knew no one would come. After the 'incident', Prowl found himself spending more time alone.

Time he used to spend with the others until…

_'Jazz was better off dead,' _he thought, fighting the urge to cradle his cranial unit in his hands as the pain increased.

For a second or two he was surprised and horrified by his own thoughts. But the pain was making it harder to think straight and maybe he wasn't so wrong in wishing the other dead. It wasn't really that hard to ensure that a very tragic and fatal accident occurred to the revived Solstice.

No one had to know…

No one had to find out…

And he'd be The Prime's right-hand mech again. Autobot First Lieutenant Prowl…

Fear filled him as his control slipped. His cranial unit felt as if it were going to explode and his thoughts had almost halted completely. His spark flared and an all consuming rage seemed to fill him. He clamped his dentals as tight as he could to suppress a scream. His claws were embedded in his desk, trying to fight against the urge to run out and attack the first mech he encountered.

But he didn't want any mech. He wanted Jazz. He wanted to be the one to extinguish his spark as painfully as possible. He wanted to rip the body limb for limb and melt him down so he could never come back from the dead.  
_  
__'Mechs are not meant to come back from the dead.'_

_'But Jazz came back.'_

_'But every spark is meant to go to the Matrix.'_

_'Not Jazz.'_

_'Only the All Spark had the power of life.'_

_'And somehow the accident gave enough power to the All Spark to bring Jazz back.'_

_'The odds off that happening are impossible.'_

_'Yet it happened.'_

Prowl's rage and pain disappeared. His vision turned to static. His systems slowed down and he slumped on his desk.

* * *

Two hours later Ironhide went to see if Prowl felt like sparring. He hoped the Saleen wasn't mad at him for not sparring with him yesterday like they'd planned. The Topkick had instead spent the afternoon with Jazz, trying to keep the Solstice entertained and convince himself that the smaller mech was truly alive.

He knocked and frowned when he got no response from Prowl. The mech might not like to be interrupted, but he'd always answered his door. Ironhide checked his chronometer and knew something was wrong.

Prowl might be many things. Most of them, things that Ironhide wished were not true. But he was not irresponsible and he was not one to leave early from his shift. He quickly overrode the lock on the door and entered the room. Minutes later he was helping Ratchet carry Prowl down to the medbay.

* * *

"Whoa! What happened t' him?" the Solstice asked as he watched Ironhide and Ratchet drag in a familiar looking mech.

"Don't know yet," the medic answered absentmindedly as he started scanning the mech.

"Is that the new arrival Prime talked about?" Jazz continued asking, noting the medic's slight falter in his scans and how Ironhide seemed to tense at his words.

"I… I guess so," Ironhide answered and Jazz fought the urge to narrow his optics while his visor was off.

They were hiding something from him.

"He the one that was in my place?" he continued, watching their reactions closely.

Ratchet was too busy working on the unconscious mech to let anything slip, but Ironhide nodded a little too eagerly for his liking.

"Jazz, either mute it or go to recharge. Ironhide, bring something to hold Prowl down. We don't know what he'll do when he comes back online," Ratchet ordered.

So the new mech was Prowl. A mech that was behind whatever the others were hiding from him. A mech that, now that he took a good look at him, reminded him of a Decepticon. There were minor aesthetic changes, but there was something not quite… Autobot in his chosen form.

_'Great, now I've turned into a stereotypin' mech,' _Jazz thought as he got bored of watching the repairs and settled into a light recharge.

After all, he wanted to speak to the mech that had managed to impress Prime.

* * *

"My logic processor locked up?" Prowl asked incredulously.

"That's what I said," Ratchet replied without looking at Prowl straight to the optics.

"I don't understand. I've never suffered from that before," at Ratchet's look, he amended, "Or… I don't think I've suffered from it before. Why now?"

Ratchet shrugged, "My guess is that your logic processor worked too hard trying to find an answer to something that might not have one. I think that is what has been causing your glitch all along."

Prowl looked away, successfully hiding his shame as the memories of what he'd been thinking came to him. Most of the episode had been lost to him, but the parts he remembered made him feel as if he was the worst mech in the universe.

"Can you fix the glitch now."

Ratchet sighed, "I fear I cannot fix it, Prowl. You've already suffered a memory wipe which might have caused the glitch to appear. Tinkering with it again has more probabilities of killing you than fixing the problem."

"You can't repair me?" Prowl asked feeling dread coming over him. If he were to lose control again…

"I can't fix your glitch, but I'm sure you've noticed your new add-on," at Prowl's nod he continued, "That tactical computer is capable of analyzing several situations instantaneously and advising you on the optimal course of action for each situation."

"And that will help me?"

"To some extent. It will give you answers faster than your logic processor can. That will prevent it from overworking and that will keep you from locking up again. Unless you manage to overwork both your logic processor and tactical computer," Ratchet gave him a rare smile, "Might want to consider a change into the tactical field. It might come in handy then."

Prowl thought about it, surprised that he was inclined to accept such a change. The unit didn't had a tactician and Ratchet's little upgrade could help him greatly in filling that empty spot.

"I'll think about it," he said slowly.

"Good. You can go now," the Hummer replied, making a shooing motion with his hand, "Stay away from paradoxes and unanswerable questions for a while, Prowl."

* * *

"What's wrong?" Prime asked as Ratchet suddenly interrupted his conversation with Ironhide.

The medic simply stepped forward and addressed his commander, "Do you think it's wise to not tell him?"

"I take it you're talking about Jazz and Prowl," Prime answered, giving Ratchet a pointed look, "Is there a reason why I should fear Barricade's return?"

There was a tense silence until a reluctant Ratchet answered him, "No. I made sure of that."

"What did you do?" Ironhide asked.

"It's a safeguard," Ratchet replied nonchalantly, "Should an undesirable part of his programming reappear, he will go into stasis."

"You mean he almost went Decepticon on us?" Ironhide frowned, wondering why the idea of using his cannons on Barricade wasn't as satisfying as before.

"As long as the safeguard is there, Barricade will continue to be Prowl. My latest upgrade made sure that cannot happen."

"And the upgrade is?" Prime asked.

"Besides the very real tactical computer, I installed a stronger systems shutdown. I told him it's his logical processor locking up."

"Now tell me why I should tell Jazz of Prowl's true origins?" Prime continued and both Ratchet and Ironhide listened carefully to their leader's words, "I have complete trust in your abilities as a medic, Ratchet. Barricade was erased in order to save his life and from it came a mech that has been nothing but loyal and dedicated to our cause. Will Prowl be forever judged by the actions of Barricade?"

"But Prowl is Barricade?" Ironhide replied and Prime sighed tiredly.

"Is he? Or is it the other way around?"

"What do you mean?" the medic asked.

"I mean that maybe Prowl is what Barricade used to be before Megatron convinced the Cybertronian Guard to join him."

* * *

_Edited: 6/10/09 - Fixed Jazz's rank (thanks to cmdrtekk for pointing it out, otherwise I would've never noticed my mistake.)  
_


End file.
